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The Shute Shield regular season has ended and the match-ups for next weekend’s Preliminary Finals are set. There are Major League Rugby interests in each contest, with incoming LA coach Darren Coleman leading his Gordon side to a first place finish and favorites heading into the knock-out rounds.
Randwick will be their opponent in the unusual Finals format. Six teams are included with the top three winners advancing plus the top-seeded losing team from the Preliminaries. Houston and DC veteran Jake Turnbull has been the starting No1 for the Galloping Greens all season. They will need to come up with something special to advance beyond October 17.
Northern Suburbs were upset by Warringah in yesterday’s Round 13 match to slip into third overall. Former Free Jack Brad Hemopo has been a key figure on the blindside flank. They will square off against two-time defending champions Sydney University, who enjoyed the company of ex-Legion prop Paddy Ryan in just one match this season.
The third playoff contest will see Eastern Suburbs up against Eastwood. LA acquisition Lindsey Stevens has been a regular in the Beasts lineup this season, mostly at hooker. He got a rare start on the openside flank in their thrashing of Randwick yesterday. Old Glory’s James King was not in the lineup and it remains to be seen if he will feature next weekend.
For the rest of the MLR reps, the season is now over. Seattle’s Tim Metcher started nine games for Southern Districts at tighthead prop, with Utah’s Sama Malolo beginning the season in the No2 shirt but playing the last five games at No8.
Warringah had DC captain Mungo Mason in the run-on side for the first eight games, the flanker then missing several weeks before returning on the bench for the last game of the season. Austin signing Maclean Jones appeared just twice with one start on the flank alongside Mason.
James Hilterbrand and Van Stewart were first choice players for Manly Marlins all season at hooker and second row respectively. The former is linked with a move to Austin while Stewart played for the SaberCats this past season and could yet return in 2021.
At the bottom of the table were Penrith Emus, an expected result given the team had been effectively disbanded in 2019. Houston had two players involved though neither have yet appeared in an MLR regular season game. Mathew Faoagali was a consistent starter in the back row for the second half of the season with younger brother Niko Faoagali making two appearances as a replacement prop.
